Contract Management articles from April 2005

Contract Management archives from April 2005

Noble work.(LEADERSHIP FORUM)(Column)
April 1, 2005... "Quidvis recte, factum quamvis, humilae praeclarum." This was--and I presume still is--the sign over the entrance to the Rolls Royce motorcar factory in Crewe, England. Loosely translated, it means, "Whatever is rightly done, however...

Critical issues in organizational development.(PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT)
April 1, 2005... Organizational development in today's environment is a challenging prospect in most professions--including program management, contracts, and acquisition. To effectively manage any acquisition and program organization, you need to...

Managing opportunity & risk in a complex project environment: too many organizations do not take the time and effort to thoroughly identify, prioritize, and develop action plans, as well as implement those plans to maximize business opportunities and mitigate risks.(Cover Story)
April 1, 2005... Managing any project within an organization can be a challenge. Managing a complex project in an outsourcing environment, typically involving a customer, principal supplier (prime contractor), and numerous supply-chain partners (vendors and...

New frontiers for teaming agreement enforcement: some courts are prepared to enforce teaming agreements using remedies historically reserved for only the most egregious of breach of contract cases.
April 1, 2005... The expense and complexity of today's major procurements have mandated that the merger-depleted field of contractors combine their diverse talents to form viable teams to compete for these fewer but quite lucrative, sophisticated contracts....

Changing the way we do business in space: the Young Commission explored several new options to improve the acquisition of future space programs--beyond contractor performance history.
April 1, 2005... The U.S. Air Force uses past-performance records as a discriminator in selecting the best-qualified contractor to perform large systems development and production efforts. The use of the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System...

Rebuilding high-performance work teams: what can you do as a contract manager or team leader to rebuild high-performance?
April 1, 2005... Workplace restructuring often devastates contract management teams. A frequent side effect of company or agency restructuring is fragmentation of high-performance work teams, as members are promoted, transferred to other assignments, or leave...

World Congress 2005.
April 1, 2005... Hyatt Regency/Phoenix Civic Plaza * Phoenix, Arizona * April 25-27 * www.ncmahq.org Sarbanes-Oxley, homeland security, SAB101, war on terrorism... rarely in history have the headlines been so full of issues and crises touching our...

An introduction to government technical evaluations: a contracting officer's perspective; Comprehensive, accurate technical evaluations are the foundation for negotiating a fair and reasonable modification to any acquisition contract.
April 1, 2005... This article is reprinted in part from the DAU article in the February 2005 Defense Acquisition Review Journal. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The technical evaluation of the contractor's proposal directly affects the outcome of the...

Governance meetings schedule.(World Congress 2005)
April 1, 2005... Hyatt Regency/Phoenix Civic Plaza * Phoenix, Arizona * April 23-26 * www.ncmahq.org Board of Directors Meeting Saturday, April 23, 2005, from 8:30am-5:00 pm Hyatt Regency, Phoenix, AZ The NCMA Board of Directors is the...

Networking activities and events.(World Congress 2005)(Calendar)
April 1, 2005... Baseball Game Saturday, April 23; game begins at 6:40pm $17 per person Join fellow NCMA members at an Arizona Diamondbacks/San Diego Padres baseball game. For reservations and payment, please contact Michelle Bourke at...

Risk management: what contract administrators should know; By understanding the risk management process and the organizational impact and being a supportive team member, the contract administrator will be able to add overall value to project/contract and the organization.
April 1, 2005... Who's responsible for the risk management in your business? Some contract administrators view this responsibility as their own, while others believe it is that of the program or financial management team. In truth, all individuals involved in...

Q & A resource: project management in balance.(Questions and Answers)
April 1, 2005... The Project Management Question and Answer Book Michael W. Newell, PMP, and Marina N. Grashina, PMP AMACOM (2004), 240 pp., $17.95 ISBN 0-8144-7164-1 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What are projects? Why do organizations do...

E-Courses.(On-line learning)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... With the support of our new on-line learning partner, VCampus, we are proud to offer you virtual courses to support the NCMA Certification Program. On-line learning is a flexible, affordable, and effective way to meet your continuing...

A most dubious claim.(CASE COMMENTARY)
April 1, 2005... In August 1996, five years after MCII Generator and Electric (MCII) won the competition with Fermont for the Army Communications Command five-year supply contract, MCII certified a claim for equitable price adjustment of $5.7 million....

Reviewing CobbleStone Systems: Contract Web; This site was reviewed in February 2005.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
April 1, 2005... Contract Web is CobbleStone System's flagship product, designed for an enterprise-level implementation to help large companies upkeep, track, and manage their contract awards and proposals. A simpler version of the system is available for...

ILSmart review: accelerating buying and selling time.(E-BUSINESS)(Inventory Locator Service Inc.)
April 1, 2005... Looking for an e-marketplace where contracting for parts, equipment, and services can be handled in very little time, with very little effort? Inventory Locator Service[R] LLC (ILS), bringing buyers and sellers together since 1979, operates...

Contract Management Learning Center.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The NCMA Contract Management Learning Center (CMLC) is a virtual community for learning, dedicated to the professional development of private and public contract management professionals. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The CMLC is FREE to...

NCMA's 2005 educational conference calendar.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
April 1, 2005... Attendance at NCMA's conferences offer you: * ways to stay in touch with contemporary issues, * exposure to best practice models, * opportunities for networking with those in the same field, * career growth programs, and ...

Corporate membership.
April 1, 2005... NCMA corporate members enhance their industry image as premier businesses in the contract management community. Learn how your company can take advantage of our growing resources by joining our corporate members. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

House bill: presidential helicopters to be wholly manufactured in U.S.(Legislation)(United States)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... On February 1, 2005, Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced H.R. 459, known as the "Marine One Made in America Act," to require the secretary of the navy to procure helicopters under the VH-3D presidential helicopter fleet replacement...

House bill to prohibit new federal contracts award to companies outsourcing jobs overseas.(Legislation)
April 1, 2005... On February 15, 2005, Representative Waters (D-CA) introduced H.R. 829 to prohibit the award of new federal contracts to "companies of interest" that have outsourced jobs previously performed in the States during the previous five years. The...

OMB issues notice re: government charge card program.(Regulations)(Office of Management and Budget)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has issued a notice requesting comments on a draft guidance document titled "Improving Government Charge Card Management," located at www.whitehouse.gov/cmb/financial/fia_travel.html. The agency...

DOD issues two final rules to amend certain tax procedures.(Regulations)
April 1, 2005... DOD has issued a final rule to amend the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) Part 229.70, Taxes--Special Procedures for Overseas Contracts. As previously reported, DOD published a proposed rule on August 2, 2004, to...

DOD eliminates source inspection requirements for contracts valued less than $250,000.(Regulations)
April 1, 2005... DOD has issued a final rule to eliminate requirements for government contract quality assurance at source for contracts or delivery orders valued at less than $250,000, unless (1) mandated by DOD regulation; (2) required by a memorandum of...

DOD issues interim rule on requirements for Provision of Information to Cooperative Agreement Holders.(Regulations)(Department of Defense)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... DOD has issued an interim rule to amend the DFARS to implement Section 816 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2005 by increasing the threshold (from $500,000 to $1 million) at which a DOD contract must include a requirement for...

DOD issues proposed rule, revising DFARS on extraordinary contractual actions.(Regulations)(Department of Defense)(Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... DOD has published a proposed rule to amend the DFARS to update requirements for DOD processing of requests for extraordinary contract adjustments and to relocate, to the DFARS companion resource PGI, the text pertaining to procedures for...

DOD issues proposed rule regarding Service Contracting.(Regulations)(Department of Defense)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... DOD has issued a proposed rule to amend DFARS Part 237, Service Contracting, by relocating certain text to the DFARS companion resource PGI and deleting definitions and other text that are either no longer relevant or are adequately addressed...

DOD issues proposed rule amending DOD authority to procure telecommunications services.(Regulations)(Department of Defense)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... DOD has issued a proposed rule to amend the DFARS to delete obsolete text and add new text regarding DOD's authority to enter into telecommunications services contracts. Currently, DFARS Part 239.7405, Delegated Authority for...

DOD issues two proposed rules to amend DFARS RE: acquisition of Utility Services.(Regulations)
April 1, 2005... DOD has issued a proposed rule to amend the DFARS to further address the DOD policy regarding application of decisions of regulated utility bodies and the use of solicitation provisions and contract clauses when services are provided by...

NCMA Audio Seminar: protecting investments in intellectual property.
April 1, 2005... Tuesday, April 19, 2005 Noon-1:30pm (ET) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Register now: www.ncmahq.org/education/audio.asp Registration fee: $150.00 IN THE FAST-PACED WORLD OF BUSINESS NEGOTIATIONS, how do you ensure trust between...

NCMA 2005 National Education Seminars (NES) series.(Calendar)
April 1, 2005... Best Contracting Practices for Business "Best Contracting Practices for Business" is for those in government or commercial contracting. This interactive seminar examines and offers best practices in building highly successful contract...

Texoma: less is more.(NCMA Chapter Profile)
April 1, 2005... In July 1989, 29 contracting professionals in the Wichita Falls, Texas, area banded together to charter the Texoma Chapter. Today, there are 42 members--and eight are from the original group of 29! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Although...

NCMA: opening doors to community.(NCMA ASSOCIATION NEWS)(National Contract Management Association)
April 1, 2005... The Phoenix Thunderbird Chapter hosted a small business conference on January 13, 2005, at the Doubletree Suites in Phoenix, Arizona. One of our chapter's goals this year was to increase outside participation at chapter events. A major...

Foundations of the Certification Program Part 3 of 3: concerns of the CM community.(NCMA ASSOCIATION NEWS)
April 1, 2005... To quote Norman Cousins, "government is a senior partner in business." (1) Those in government who interact with businesses in ways that directly impact their bottom line are the contract managers. The Honorable Jacques Gansler writes in...

Antelope valley chapter.(CHAPTER BULLETIN BOARD)
April 1, 2005... (From left to right) Larry Stoltenberg (past chapter president), John Schafer (FBI, guest speaker), and Marvell Lavy (president), meet after Schafer's presentation of good tips from his book, Advanced Interviewing Techniques: Proven...

Dayton chapter.(CHAPTER BULLETIN BOARD)
April 1, 2005... President Linda Kimmel thanks speaker, Lester Lyles, Gen (Ret), USAF, for his talk at their luncheon meeting: "Contracting as Practiced by Other Agencies--How Does the Air Force Stand up?" [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Northern west Virginia chapter.(CHAPTER BULLETIN BOARD)
April 1, 2005... Carl Bauer, deputy director of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory, accepts a gift from a surprise visitor at the chapter's December meeting. Bauer's presentation, "What's New in Business at NETL," was...